BEIJING (Reuters) – China will ensure key agricultural product supplies this year, including grains, according to a government work report released at the start of the country’s annual meeting of parliament on Saturday.
China will keep total grain acreage at a stable level and increase the production of soybeans and other oilseeds, the report said, reiterating top policy priorities in the farm sector, as Beijing refocuses on food security.
China will stop any attempts to use cropland for any purpose other than agriculture and specifically grain production, to safeguard the area of farmland, and revitalise the seed industry at a faster pace, Premier Li Keqiang said in the work report.
The efforts would be made to boost food security, a long-standing priority that has become much more prominent in policy for the top leadership since the COVID-19 pandemic began in early 2020.
Premier Li also said China will see that hog production is better regulated and ensure the production and supply of livestock, poultry and aquatic products and vegetables.
China’s massive pig herd was decimated by the deadly African swine fever disease, sending pork prices to record highs and increasing the consumer price index.
China quickly rebuilt its pig herd to normal levels since then, according to official data, but stabilizing production and prices has become a major focus for the government.
Everyone must work together to ensure that the country’s “rice bag” and “vegetable basket” are well-filled, and that we have a secure food supply for more than 1.4 billion Chinese people, Premier Li said.
(Reporting by Hallie Gu and Shivani Singh; editing by Jane Wardell and Christian Schmollinger)
